Tag: Promo

March 15, 2024

Exposé – Point Of No Return (All New Mixes!) (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987

NEW 2024 Transfer
New Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted November 3, 2011

“Point of No Return” is a single by the American pop group Exposé. Written and produced by Lewis Martineé.

Exposé was initially formed in 1984 when Lewis Martineé, a Miami disc jockey and producer, decided to form a dance-based group. Working with his partners Ismael Garcia and Frank Diaz at Pantera Productions, talent scouts hired Sandra Casañas (Sandeé), Alejandra Lorenzo (Alé), and Laurie Miller as the group’s lineup, under the title X-Posed. The next year, the trio recorded “Point of No Return” for Pantera Records as a 12-inch vinyl single, which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song helped to introduce a still-popular genre of music that became known as freestyle, which often features keyboard riffs, a sing-along chorus, and electro-funk drum-machine patterns in the music arrangement. The success of “Point of No Return” quickly led Exposé to sign with Arista/BMG Records, which promptly assumed distribution of the 12-inch vinyl single.

During the recording of the group’s first studio album Exposure, the personnel of the group changed. Reports vary based on the source. According to People magazine, one of the original singers quit while two of the girls were fired midway through the recording of the first album, but according to Billboard, all three were fired. Arista Records felt that the three original singers lacked star potential. Martinee states that he made the decision himself to replace the three girls, while Miller maintains it was all their choice, and Jurado confirms that Lorenzo wanted to leave. Shortly thereafter, Casañas pursued a solo career and Lorenzo pursued other ambitions; they were replaced by Jeanette Jurado and Gioia Bruno. Miller began a solo career; she was replaced by Ann Curless.

In February 1987, the new lineup of Exposé released its debut album, Exposure, on Arista Records. Notably, unlike many classic girl groups, Exposé alternated lead vocals among its members. During the summer of 1987, a re-recorded version of “Point of No Return” was released, with Jurado performing lead vocals, and it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100 in July 1987. While the initial distribution of Exposure to Suppliers contained the original 1984 version of that song, subsequent pressings contained the new vocal version; this has led to the original pressings of the album being considered a collector’s item.

“It’s just a little song about loving somebody to the point of no return,” said songwriter Lewis Martineé when asked if there was a deeper meaning to the song. “I just liked the title ‘Point Of No Return,’ so I decided to write a song around that. Then I started coming up with the beats and the synthesizer lines and then both melody and words. I wrote that song so fast it was crazy, like, literally 15 minutes. But then I didn’t like the bridge and I changed it. I’m glad I did because the bridge actually came out really good at the end.”

The music video for the song was directed by Ralph Ziman, and included the new 1987 lineup of Jeanette Jurado, Gioia Bruno and Ann Curless receiving heavy rotation on MTV and VH-1.

“Dub Of No Return (Strikes Again)” was not included on the 2015 Cherry Pop CD Deluxe Edition of the LP “Exposure”.

SIDE A:
Point Of No Return (Extended Mix) 9:42
Mixed By – Lewis A. Martineé, Mike Couzzi, Rick “Billy Bob” Alonso*

SIDE B:
Point Of No Return (Crossover Mix) 5:48
Mixed By – Chris Lord-Algé*, Lewis A. Martineé

Dub Of No Return (Strikes Again) 6:33
Mixed By – Lewis A. Martineé, Mike Couzzi, Rick “Billy Bob” Alonso*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	Point Of No Return	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#5
1987	Point Of No Return	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles	#39

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – ADI-9580, Arista – AD1-9580
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Freestyle, Electro, Hi NRG, Latin

CREDITS:

Executive-Producer – Francisco J. Diaz
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Lewis A. Martineé

NOTES:
Produced & arranged for Pantera Productions.
A1 & B2 mixed at Criteria Studios, Miami.
B1 mixed at The Hit Factory, NYC.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

March 8, 2024

Rod Stewart – Infatuation (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1984

“Infatuation” is a 1984 song by Rod Stewart from his thirteenth studio album Camouflage, written by Stewart, Duane Hitchings, and Rowland Robinson released as the first single from the album. It features guitar playing by Jeff Beck, who makes a cameo in the video.
For the song’s single release, the song was edited and remixed.

The song reached #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. On the US dance charts, “Infatuation” peaked at #19. in the UK the song reached #27.

The song’s video, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, is a story filmed mostly in black in white. In the video, a woman (played by Kay Lenz) moves into an apartment complex where Stewart lives. Shortly after she settles in, Stewart is accosted by the woman’s bodyguard (played by Mike Mazurki) asking about her, showing him a picture of her with two mobsters, one of the faces covered by the bodyguard’s thumb; Stewart denies knowing the woman, though his apartment walls are covered with numerous pictures he took of the woman in various stages of dress (and undress); he is constantly snapping additional pictures or peering into the woman’s apartment with his binoculars.

Eventually, Stewart’s obsession with the woman gets him in trouble; he is caught with his binoculars by the woman’s bodyguard, who punches him in the face. After Stewart falls back on his pillow the film changes from black and white to color, suggesting a dream sequence. The last scene takes a surreal turn, showing Stewart standing at a moving carousel with Lenz trapped in the center while one of the two mobsters (Dick Miller), riding a mount, taunts Stewart.

The video has two different endings. One ending shows the woman waving goodbye to Stewart as she and the other mobster (the one whose face was covered by the bodyguard’s thumb in the picture) drive away in a blue convertible, leaving Stewart riding the carousel alone. The other has the mobster driving away alone as Stewart and Lenz ride the carousel together in each other’s arms. In the first ending might, other ‘mobster’ is actually Stewart with his hair slicked down.

Mazurki later said that he got more fame in the making of this video than in any of the feature films or TV shows in which he’d starred.

SIDE A:
Infatuation (LP Version) 5:13

SIDE B:
Infatuation (Edit) 4:06

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Infatuation	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#6
1984	Infatuation	U.S. Billboard Dance Music/Club Play	#19

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records – PRO-A-2148
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

CREDITS:

Producer – Michael Omartian

NOTES:
From the Warner Bros. album Camouflage

Promotional Copy Not For sale

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

March 6, 2024

Rick Astley – She Wants To Dance With Me (Night & Day Remixes) (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1988

“She Wants to Dance with Me” is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the lead single from his second studio album, Hold Me in Your Arms (1988). The song was released in United Kingdom on September 12, 1988 by RCA, and became an international success, peaking in the top ten in many countries, including Canada, where it topped the chart, and the US and the UK, where it reached number six.

Originally the “Remix” was exclusive to the USA market but has since appeared on other formats internationally.

THE NIGHT SIDE:
She Wants To Dance With Me (Bordering On A Collie Mix) 6:05
Remix – Phil Harding

THE DAY SIDE:
She Wants To Dance With Me (Remix) 5:40
Remix – Pete Hammond

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	She Wants To Dance With Me	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#6
1988	She Wants To Dance With Me	U.S. BillboardAdult Contemporary Tracks	#5
1988	She Wants To Dance With Me	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#13

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RCA – 8851-1-RDND
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Producer – Harding / Curnow*, Astley*
Written-By – Astley*

NOTES:
From the forthcoming RCA LP “HOLD ME IN YOUR ARMAS”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

February 16, 2024

ABBA – The Visitors (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1981

“The Visitors” (working title “Den första”, meaning “The First”), also known as “The Visitors (Crackin’ Up)”, is a 1981 song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It is the title track from the band’s studio album of the same name, and was released as the fourth and final single in April 1982. The lead vocal was performed by Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

The official stated theme is a protest against the persecution of political dissidents in the Soviet Union at the time, as ABBA seemed to put political issues into their lyrics in the final days of the group. Björn Ulvaeus has stated that at the time of release he preferred that the song should have a sense of mystery so did not explain the exact meaning.

In 1982, the album The Visitors was banned in the Soviet Union, possibly due to the band allowing a video of “When All Is Said and Done” to be shown in the United States Information Agency television special, Let Poland Be Poland, along with a spoken message from Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, broadcast via satellite around the world on 31 January 1982. The show, which also featured Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Orson Welles, Henry Fonda, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan, was a public protest against the then-recent imposition of martial law in Poland.

However, ABBA’s segment was not included in the broadcast. The official reason given was time constraints. However, in a Rapport interview, Björn Ulvaeus mentioned that their message referenced human rights issues in several countries, including El Salvador and Chile. This has led to speculation that political considerations might have influenced the decision to exclude the segment, although this remains unconfirmed.

“The Visitors” was released as the album’s second (and final) single in the US instead of “Head over Heels,” which remained as the B-side.

The single peaked just outside the Top 60 at No. 63 on the singles chart in the U.S., and a double A-sided “The Visitors/When All Is Said and Done” 12″ single reached No. 8 on the Billboard dance chart. AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder retrospectively described the song as “a topical song about Soviet dissidents that also manages to be very catchy.” Even though the song did not have any success in some countries, “The Visitors” was No. 1 in Costa Rica.

++ The “Short Version” included on this U.S. 12″ Promo is a vinyl-only exclusive, and has not appeared on CD. The edit that appeared on “More ABBA Gold” was modeled after the original “Short Version” taking the “Long Version” and editing it down therefore not the original edit that appears here.

SIDE A:
The Visitors (Long Version) 5:45

SIDE B:
The Visitors (Short Version) 4:22 ++

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	The Visitors	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#63
1982	The Visitors	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#8

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – DMD 329
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Disco

CREDITS:

Engineer – Michael B. Tretow
Lacquer Cut By – GP*
Written-By, Arranged By, Producer – Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus*

NOTES:
From the Atlantic LP “THE VISITORS”

Promotional Copy Not For sale

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.